


Room A-203

by ephemeralfangirl



Series: Cat Grant, Professor [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, New Beginnings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 14:11:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8492794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ephemeralfangirl/pseuds/ephemeralfangirl
Summary: Kara stops by on Cat's first day in her new job.





	

Cat looked at herself in the mirror one last time. The curls were perfect, the makeup flawless, the necklace made a statement without being ostentatious, her dress and blazer were runway ready; she looked like the confident, successful woman she was. It was a shame the butterflies in her stomach couldn't see how she looked and behave accordingly.

She put a hand to her stomach, took a deep breath and walked out of the washroom.  She could do this. She could absolutely do this. Any second now, she would start believing it and stop asking herself what in the hell she'd been thinking when she took this job. 

It seemed so logical at the time. Actually, no, logic hadn't even entered into it. She'd gotten the call and it had felt like: ‘finally’. As if she’d misplaced an item and had been looking for it for ages and she had just stumbled upon it, it has been that relief. Now it was time for the nerves, but the yes had slipped out of her mouth easier than almost anything else in her life. She'd only been back two days when she'd gotten the call and, if she believed in that sort of thing, she'd have believe it was fate. 

After leaving CatCo, she'd asked Carter what he had wanted to do that they hadn't had time for while she'd been CEO. It had taken some prodding as he had steadfastly insisted that he'd always had everything he’d needed. While touched by his assertion, she had taken the time to teach him the difference between want and need, adding whimsy for good measure. His eyes had sparkled when she'd mentioned that and the list had sprung. She'd spent the next week making arrangements for their trip, which seemed considerably harder than it used to be. 

It had come together really in the last two nights when Carter had sneaked a text to Kara asking for help. She'd arrived at the penthouse all smiles and enthusiasm, asking Carter a million questions about what they were going to do, pulling the perfect itinerary out of thin air.

When Cat had reminded Kara that it was no longer her job to do this, she'd just smiled enigmatically and answered: “True, but it's what friends do.”

She’d smirked at the girl, the words hanging between them and had taken a sip of her white wine, pleased with both Kara’s playful reference to her conversation with her alter ego and the idea that in they were friends, or something in that realm. The young hero had come to see them off at the airport, the only friendly face in a sea of strangers. 

The enormity of her decision had hit Cat more firmly while watching Kara run down her list of essentials with Carter than when she'd walked out of CatCo on her last evening. Cat had clutched her ticket and passport holder so tight her knuckles had been white. This had been truly it. She hadn’t doubted her decision at all, or maybe a little in those unspeakable hours of the morning, but all of the sudden the world had seemed too big and she too small. Her eyes had filled while Kara had hugged Carter close, a hint of desperation in the touch, as if she'd never see him again. 

The younger blond had reluctantly pulled away with requests of pictures and postcards, before she had turned to Cat, the quivering lower lip tugging at barely acknowledged feelings. The hug had been fierce, both a heartfelt wish of farewell and an anchor to a safe place home. They had separated, Cat's heart beating triple its normal rate as she looked at Kara, too many words lingering between them to be spoken now. She'd made the effort she knew Kara was incapable of and had smiled, letting go of the hand she hadn't realized she was holding. She'd turned to Carter and ushered him toward the jet with a last wave to the girl who stood alone, closing in onto herself, seemingly no longer invincible.

That first flight away had been the hardest, leaving Kara behind felt like leaving half her heart behind, the other half coming to sit next to her, wide eyed with both wonder and just a hint of panic at what they were doing. They’d huddled together on the jet, two souls launched on a path they hadn’t expected to be on. 

After that they all seemed to blend together. Each flight was spent culling their pictures of the place left behind to send the best ones to Kara, attached to a long email from Carter and what she hoped seemed like an afterthought from Cat. It was during those flights she thought the most about her future. While she enjoyed traveling with her son immensely, it had soon become apparent to them both that she was not made for idleness. If they didn't have a plan or an activity, she became restless, driving them both just a little crazy. It was good in a way, it had made her think harder about her options. She wasn't without them of course, she was smart and talented and rich, not to mention extraordinary and gorgeous. Quite frankly, it opened all the doors she could want, but every offer had seemed so bland. 

She'd done the reporter bit, she didn't want to go back to it. She wasn't averse to writing the odd story, something she believed in, but full time simply wasn't what she was looking for. She'd also been a talk show host, it had been fun while it lasted, but it felt so completely done. She'd considered pushing for a Charlie Rose with a unique Cat Grant spin, but the idea had sparkled for all of two-seconds. It had been so brief a glimmer of interest, she hadn't even returned that call. 

Starting a new company was a possibility, of course, but why? She'd done it, worked hard to start CatCo, poured everything she had in it; all her money, the tears, the hours, the sacrifices; she'd done it all. She wouldn't change a single thing about it; CatCo had been everything, her third and most demanding child. To achieve that level of commitment, she'd have to believe in her new company with every fiber of her being. And try as she might, there was just nothing that sparked her interest enough to go for it.

She'd thought about finishing the novel that had been lingering for years first in notebooks and then on a flash drive she kept at the bottom of her purse, but just looking at it made her feel ill. The story was good and she was a phenomenal writer, she objectively knew that, but the simple thought of her mother's reaction to it just made Cat's skin crawl. She could already imagine Katherine’s jealous and cruel dismissal of it in private, while she'd publicly appropriate herself every morsel of reflected fame she could get her bony hands on. There were many things Cat was willing to do in life, but handing her mother another thing to hold over her wasn't one of them. Maybe under a nom de plume, but the amusement it could bring wasn't enough to give it more than a passing thought. Someday, down the line, she'd consider it again. Maybe. Way, way down the line.

She briefly, very, very briefly, considered going the lifestyle guru way, but she was too much of a trendsetter already to need to peddle wares like some people. Plus CatCo magazine reflected who she was more than any blog ever could. It was a much more fitting forum for her. So, that had gone out of the window very fast.

Her lack of interest in her choices had followed them back home, but a slight sense of panic had started to accompany it. She'd figured she could simply start a foundation of some sort. It would be a worthwhile endeavor and it’d give her something to do while she thought harder. But the call had come at the perfect time, the only option she hadn't considered, but it had just been the right thing. Until now.

Frowning at the lack of her usual fortitude, Cat looked at her phone, following the map Carter had obtained for her. She made a left and found the door, nerves clenching in her stomach.

Room A-203.  Her new domain. 

With a deep breath, Cat turned the handle and opened the door. Her heels echoed in the cavernous space as she stood on the threshold, her new world stretching in front of her. When it had been announced that she'd be teaching a journalism class at National City University, the enrolment had spiked much more than they'd expected and she'd been moved from a regular classroom to this theatre like environment. A new stage to perform, one she hadn't expected to be on, but that she looked forward to with a giddiness she hadn't believed herself capable of.

Looking around, she noticed a seat in the front row was occupied. Kara was looking up at her with a fond smile. Cat's smile turned up a notch and the butterflies in her stomach changed in nature, suddenly feathery light, but no less all consuming. She went down the steps, her heels echoing in the cavernous space. For some reason, it made Kara smile brighter. When Cat got to her level, the “Sunny Danvers” was full on and she bit the inside of her lip not to answer in kind. 

“I thought you'd graduated before I hired you,” Cat said, her nerves soothed by the warmth Kara radiated.

“I did, but I'm really tempted to take this class as an independent student,” the excitement in Kara's voice went a long way to relieve Cat's lingering doubts. 

When she'd told Kara of her new job, she'd been surprised to see tears glimmer in the blue eyes before she was engulfed in a hug that had been almost too tight. When they'd parted, Kara’s shoulder had dropped in relief and a tension had left her. Shy fingers had placed a lock of hair behind her ear, the ghost of the touch against her skin felt better than it should for something so small.

“You're staying,” the wonder in Kara's voice had almost been Cat's undoing and she'd taken hold of the hand lingering in her hair, nodding with a wide smile. 

It had been enough for Kara to throw herself into this new project. She'd spent late night after late nights at the penthouse to help Cat prepare her classes. She'd pulled course outlines from every conceivable universities, had found teachers planners from all the countries imaginable, had read twice as many books as Cat had, but mostly, she'd listened.  

Both of them sitting on the sofa of the home office, knees touching under the cashmere throw Cat always needed, she’d paid rapt attention to Cat's newfound passion. She hung onto every words spoken about what the newly minted teacher wanted to give her students, about the ethics of journalism she wanted to impart even if only to one of them. She wanted to help them change the world one well reported, unbiased story at a time. Kara had listened and absorbed it all, using it in her own work, Cat's first true student and probably the single most extraordinary being she'd ever find on this planet. 

And here she was on Cat's first day, pride shining out of her as she handed her former boss a Noonan’s cup.

“Why? You got the in-depth version for the past two years and even more so in the last month,” Cat said, the cup already to her lips. She took a sip of her favourite latte, smiling when she found the liquid scalding hot. It was such a small gesture that was so essentially Kara that it warmed her more than the drink.

“Yeah, but this is going to be different. You're always very impressive when you have an audience.”

“As opposed to the rest of the time when I'm ordinary?” Cat looked at Kara’s alarmed flush and she preempted the stammering with a smirk and a hand on Kara's arm. She gave the girl a gentle squeeze and stroked the skin under her hand with her thumb. “Nostalgia had you come here this morning?”

“N...no. I just wanted to wish you luck and bring you a first day of school present.”

“Excuse me?” her hand dropped as she watched as the younger hero reached behind her and bring up a violently purple gift bag. Cat took it, a slight tremor to her hand. This was her fourth or fifth reinvention and this was the first time she had people who cared enough to give her good luck gifts. 

She pushed the tissue paper aside and found three boxes of the red pens she always used for correcting, a single box of refills for her favourite pen, five of her brand of notebooks and a pencil case that matched the new “teacher bag" Carter had gifted her the previous night during their _Beginning of the Semester_ dinner celebration. She'd been sure the Kryptonian would have made an appearance and had tried not to be disappointed at her absence as Kara had been such an integral part of the preparation. She should have known the day would be marked and this moment alone felt better. Having Kara here with her, in her new space felt like they were doing this together even if they moved in different spaces.

“You and Carter are of a similar mind,” was the only thing Cat could say, as she swallowed hard, fingering the pencil case.

Kara looked down, a blush rising “We went together.”

The bottom of her stomach melted at the thought of them shopping together, Carter with his pondering ways, his lists and reviews and Kara with her enthusiasm and impulsive thoughtfulness, the two of them perfectly balanced. She'd noticed it during Kara's evenings at the penthouse, the two of them playing, doing homework and swapping vegetables as if they'd always done it. Carter's ease with her was one of the reason she gave for letting Kara come by their home so often and much earlier than was truly warranted by the help she was giving Cat. The others she kept to herself, mostly, but they found their justification in the coffee and the bag. Cat hid the fluttering in her heart by licking her lips and putting the bag down on the desk.

“Thank you,” the words were soft and minimal, but they held a world of meaning in so few syllables. Kara's face lit up, not with the Sunny Danvers smile, but with the affectionate version, the lips pulled up by feelings rather than glee. It was a smile Cat was allowing  herself to earn more often these days, but it never lessened its impact. 

“You're welcome,” Kara answered just as softly, stepping closer. The fluttering gave way to a stampede as she felt a hesitant tug on her blazer. She looked up into blue eyes and held her breath.

“Is there anything else you need for your first day to go well?” The boldness was barely undermined by the nervousness and Cat couldn't help but stare at the pink lips forming the words as she debated whether this was the moment or not.

“Huuuum,” Kara took the decision out of her hands. She leaned forward and pressed their lips together. It started soft, skin barely brushing together, the almost friction sending sparks down Cat's spine, igniting a desire she'd thought she had hidden in a safe place. Hunger awakened, she took Kara's face in her hands and pressed closer, harder, letting herself feast on a taste she'd dreamt about, but hadn't dared to hope sampling for herself. They kissed to breathlessness, hands afraid to roam least they lose themselves at a time when they couldn't. When Cat leaned back she was smiling. She couldn't remember the last time a first kiss hadn't been a step to get over with and had filled her with joy like this. 

She trailed fingers through the loose portion of Kara's up-do, the golden strands fascinating in her hand. She pursed her lips to try to smother her grin. “I was going to say: ‘a packed lunch would have been nice,' but this worked just as well.”

Kara's giggles felt as wonderful as she'd deny thinking of when the Kryptonian hugged her, burying her face in the crook of Cat's neck, the short breath raising goosebumps.

“I knew you wouldn't eat something that stayed out of the fridge so long, so I didn't, but the last pages of your notebooks have 15 acceptable lunch spots within walking distance, and a few other essentials.”

Touched, Cat put her lips on Kara’s quickly, just long enough to say thank you, but not enough to get carried away the way she wanted to. “Ever the efficient assistant.”

“No, I just want you to be happy here.”

“How could I not be?” The question was larger than her new position and Kara understood. The nerves settled on her face and Cat smiled. “Sooo, any of those spots suitable for evening dining?”

Happiness suited Kara’s features better than any emotion, the way the light suffused her countenance was enough to make Cat wish to do this every day.

“Probably not, but I can find a place that would be.” 

“Thursday?”

“Absolutely. You'll be able to tell me about your first week. I mean, you could call before, I'm dying to know how it'll go, or e-mail, but Thursday's good.” Kara nodded, shutting her mouth before she could  ramble further. 

The door above them opened and Cat's first students walked in. The little bubble Kara had created around them burst and a different kind of nerves filled Cat, her anxiety back with a vengeance. She looked back at Kara who pulled the reddest, most perfect apple out of her pocket.

“Knock 'em dead, Miss Teacher.”

Cat reached for the apple and closed her hand over it with a devilish grin. “Have I ever been known to do otherwise?”

Fond and joyful laughter was lost in the chaos of her class filling in. Kara gave her a salute and walked up the stairs. Cat watched her go, a slightly wistful pang accompanied the departure, but the apple was cold in her hand, a solid proof that this was only the beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> So this came from a tired, weepy interrogation the morning after Cat's departure (I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry) as to what she could do and it came out in a caffein void in all caps to one of my friends. She puts up with a lot, that poor baby. She's the best.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
